Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., was born on September 27, 1982, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation and is often cited as one of the greatest rappers of all time.

Lil Wayne grew up in the impoverished Hollygrove neighborhood of Uptown New Orleans. His mother, Jacida Carter, gave birth to him when she was 19 years old. His parents divorced when he was two, and his father permanently abandoned the family. He has four children: Reginae, Dwayne III, Kameron, and Neal, with four different women. He was married to his high school sweetheart, Antonia "Toya" Johnson, from 2004 to 2006.

He has also been romantically linked to several other women, including Christina Milian, Lauren London, and Nivea.

His career began in 1995 when he was signed by rapper Birdman and joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label. He was first placed in a duo with Cash Money labelmate B.G. in 1994, and they released an album called True Story. He then formed the Southern hip hop group Hot Boys with labelmates Juvenile and Turk in 1997.

The group gained mainstream success with their second album Guerrilla Warfare and their hit single Bling Bling. His debut studio album, Tha Block Is Hot, was released in 1999 and quickly achieved commercial success. He reached wider popularity and critical acclaim with his fourth and fifth albums, Tha Carter and Tha Carter II.

His sixth album, Tha Carter III, propelled him to the forefront of hip hop with first-week sales of over one million units domestically. It won Best Rap Album at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards and was supported by his first Billboard Hot 100 number-one single, Lollipop.

Lil Wayne has released numerous hit songs throughout his career, including A Milli, Got Money, Mrs. Officer, and Mirror. He has also collaborated with many other artists, such as Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Eminem.

In addition to his music career, he founded the record label Young Money Entertainment, which has released numerous hits by artists like Drake and Nicki Minaj. He has won several awards, including five Grammy Awards, eleven BET Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, and two MTV Video Music Awards.

He has been arrested multiple times on charges ranging from drug possession to weapons charges. He has also suffered from seizures, which he has attributed to his epilepsy.